We've gone over every nonconference schedule for each team in all the top leagues (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, Big East) in addition to notable teams who hail from smaller leagues (i.e. Gonzaga, Wichita State, BYU, San Diego State).
After polling coaches across the country for expected order of finish in each conference, we ranked each schedule. We'll run down top 10 loaded nonconference schedules, the softest non-league slates, the most disappointing schedules and more. Teams were penalized for playing cupcakes and rewarded for playing away from home.
Top 10 nonconference schedules
John Calipari's team plays Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse, UCLA in Pauley Pavilion, Duke in Chicago, Louisville (at Rupp Arena) and Ohio State in Brooklyn. The home slate isn't overwhelming, but there shouldn't be many teams in the 300 range of the RPI, either.
The Zags are in a different situation. Mark Few needs to load up because Gonzaga plays in the West Coast Conference. This season, Few & Co. play at SMU, host Arizona and UCLA, play Pittsburgh in Japan and will play three games in the toughest of the early season tourneys, the Battle 4 Atlantis.
It will be hard to find any team that will play three more challenging true road games than the Commodores, who go to Purdue, Texas and Baylor. Kevin Stallings' team also has Dayton at home and plays in the Maui Invitational, where it should get Indiana in the second game.
New coach Bobby Hurley said he always wanted to play against quality teams when he was at Duke. The Sun Devils, who could struggle this season, have three true road games: Kentucky, Creighton and UNLV. ASU plays Texas A&M, Stephen F. Austin and Belmont in Tempe and will face NC State and possibly LSU in Brooklyn as part of the Legends Classic.
Roy Williams has a team capable of going to the Final Four, and he may have the toughest overall schedule in the nation -- if you factor in ACC play. The Tar Heels play Texas and Northern Iowa on the road, UCLA in Brooklyn, Temple in Annapolis, Maryland, and two games in Kansas City in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. There are also home contests against Maryland and Davidson.
6. UCLA Bruins
Steve Alford's team plays Kentucky (home), North Carolina in New York and Gonzaga in Spokane. The Bruins also open the Maui Invitational with UNLV, could get Kansas in the second game and will likely play a quality opponent on the final day.
Tony Bennett and the Cavs are a preseason top-10 team, and have a quality non-league schedule that includes road games against Ohio State and George Washington, home contests against California and Villanova and a neutral site game against West Virginia in at Madison Square Garden. Virginia also plays in the Charleston Classic -- an event that likely won't have any other ranked teams.
Bill Self's Jayhawks played the toughest nonconference schedule two years ago and checked in at No. 2 last season. This one isn't quite as tough, but still cracks the top 10 with Kentucky at home, Michigan State in Chicago, three games in Maui (the Jayhawks will play either UCLA or UNLV in the second game), and also a road contest at San Diego State.
Billy Donovan had stepped it up in recent years, and new Gators coach Mike White has a tough schedule for his first season in Gainesville. The Gators have Michigan State and Miami on the road, potentially Purdue in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off, and West Virginia, Florida State and Richmond at home.
T10. Texas Longhorns
Shaka Smart will have his hands full for his first season in Austin with a slate that includes North Carolina, UConn and Vanderbilt at home as well as Texas A&M and potentially Gonzaga in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
T10. Auburn Tigers
Bruce Pearl always believed in playing a quality schedule when he was at Tennessee -- and he has taken the same philosophy to Auburn. The Tigers face Xavier, Middle Tennessee and Coastal Carolina on the road; will open the Diamond Head Classic with New Mexico and have home contests against Colorado, Oklahoma State and UAB. It's just solid up and down the slate with few cupcakes.
Next 10: Oklahoma Sooners, Alabama Crimson Tide, Wichita State Shockers, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Dayton Flyers, Duke Blue Devils, Georgetown Hoyas, Georgia Bulldogs, Wisconsin Badgers, Xavier Musketeers
Most lackluster nonconference schedules
Chris Collins is trying to keep the momentum going in his third season, and he has put together a nonconference slate that is simply dismal, but this is a program that has never made the NCAA tournament.
ECU coach Jeff Lebo is, like most among the top five, just trying to get wins any way he can do so.
Eddie Jordan enters his third season, and the program hasn't done anything in the first two.
Trent Johnson had the worst nonconference schedule in America last season, and while this one isn't quite as bad, it's still underwhelming.
Kelvin Sampson has more talent in his second season, but the Cougars aren't ready to step it up just yet.
Most disappointing
Rick Pitino didn't know what type of team he'd have this season after preparing to watch Montrzel Harrell and Terry Rozier join Wayne Blackshear in leaving. However, this nonconference schedule is a joke. There are two quality games out of 13. The Cards have their annual game against Kentucky (at Rupp) and were matched up against Michigan State in East Lansing in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. There are home games against Grand Canyon, Western Kentucky, North Florida, Hartford, Samford, St. Francis, Eastern Michigan, Kennesaw State, UMKC and Utah Valley -- and a neutral-site game in New York against Saint Louis.
2. LSU Tigers
Johnny Jones is going to ease stud freshman Ben Simmons into college hoops with plenty of cupcakes in the nonconference slate. It's hardly overwhelming with the likes of Kennesaw State, McNeese State, Gardner-Webb, American, Oral Roberts, South Alabama and North Florida at home; Houston and Charleston on the road and two games in New York at the Legends Classic against Marquette and either NC State or Arizona State.
Sorry, Jamie Dixon, but no true road games and just three teams that will likely be in the top 150 (Gonzaga in Japan, Davidson in New York and Purdue at home). Dixon's program seemingly has a permanent spot on this list.
Home cooking
Josh Pastner has 11 of 13 nonconference contests at the FedEx Forum this season. Eleven! Here's the full nonconference home slate: Southern Miss, Oklahoma, Grambling State, UT Arlington, Louisiana Tech, Southeast Missouri State, Manhattan, Southern, Ole Miss, IUPUI and Nicholls State.
SEC loads up
Sure, the ACC and Big Ten have proven it year in and year out, but give the SEC credit for stepping it up again in the nonconference. Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn lead the way, but Alabama and Georgia also scheduled well. On the whole, SEC teams play the toughest nonconference slate with the Big 12 a distant second. The Pac-12 was third, Big East fourth, ACC fifth, Big Ten sixth and the American was seventh.
Cupcake award
This one goes to Nebraska's Tim Miles, who squad plays the following teams: Prairie View A&M, Abilene Christian, Mississippi Valley State, Delaware State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Southeastern Louisiana. The Cornhuskers also have Samford and Miami on their home floor. There are some quality games on the slate (at Villanova, at Creighton, home against Rhode Island and two games in New York against Cincinnati and either GW or Tennessee), but most of that home non-league slate is atrocious.
Nothing can compare
At Long Beach State, the 2015-16 campaign features road games at Duke, Arizona, UCLA, Oregon, Oklahoma State, Colorado State and Pepperdine, home contests against BYU and San Diego State -- and a trip to the Charleston Classic, where the 49ers open with Seton Hall.
Won't see any hostile crowds
Duke won't play a single true road game in the nonconference schedule, but the Blue Devils aren't alone: Neither will Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Minnesota and Washington.
Fewest home games
Florida State starts off in Tallahassee for games against Nicholls State (Nov. 15) and Jacksonville (Nov. 17), but the 'Noles don't play on their home floor again until Dec. 13 against Southeastern Louisiana. Leonard Hamilton's squad plays a total of only five nonconference games at the Tucker Center.
Road warriors
Ole Miss has more true road games (five) than anyone else, even though they aren't all that imposing. Andy Kennedy's team plays at Memphis, Kansas State, Bradley and Southeast Missouri State -- and it faces UMass in Springfield, Mass.